Join us on Thursday, September 7th from 5-8 p.m. at CATEC. Our Culinary Arts class is offering a spaghetti supper to the community. All net proceeds will benefit the Red Cross Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund. Dine with us, or order it to go. Cash or checks only, please.

Work on CATEC’s new school-bus-turned-food-truck will begin in earnest next month, but the program is already attracting attention from the Charlottesville community. The project has gotten coverage in local media, such as Charlottesville Tomorrow and Newsplex, and been awarded a grant.

The new project reaches across disciplines at CATEC. Culinary students will prepare the food, and students in the auto technician program will prepare the bus for service. Health and medical students will plan a nutritious menu, and students in the Cisco lab will design the computer program to track sales and plan business. The truck should be ready to serve the public next spring.

Shannon Foundation awarded the program a $5,000 grant, and CATEC is exploring additional fundraising options.

CATEC recently joined Dominion Energy’s “Solar for Students” program, which gives students the chance to learn firsthand about harnessing solar energy from a solar array installed outside the school.

CATEC was one of five public schools in Virginia, as well as one children’s museum, to join the program this year. Four public schools piloted the program in 2015.

Dominion Energy’s “Solar for Students” presents an exciting opportunity to teach students about renewable energy. Through this program, CATEC and PVCC (Piedmont Virginia Community College) will provide specialized, hands-on solar training, enabling program graduates to pursue careers in the growing renewable energy sector.

CATEC will use on-site educational photovoltaic and on-line display systems to train students in solar system installation, maintenance, and energy usage monitoring and analysis. The system will be an addition to CATEC Building Trades Labs, which currently offer electrical, plumbing, HVAC, masonry and carpentry training.Both Albemarle County Schools and Charlottesville City Schools have embraced solar energy and expanded what students learn about renewable energy. The program will give CATEC students a strong start towards a career in renewable energy, a fast-growing industry in Central Virginia.

CATEC is pleased to announce that it has been selected to receive a $5,000.00 SHANNON FOUNDATION grant for the 2017-2018 school year for our project, CATEC Food Bus. The Foundation has scheduled an awards ceremony for Friday, August 18th at 10 a.m. at CATEC. The Edgar and Eleanor Shannon Foundation for Excellence in Public Education ,Charlottesville/Albemarle exists to help outstanding educators model and inspire a love of learning in their classrooms.